Transparent display container



Feb. 10, 1959 Filed Dec. 22, 1955 K. H. ERIC KSON TRANSPARENT DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 10, 1959 K. H. ERICKSON TRANSPARENT DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1955 United States Patent "ice TRANSPARENT DISPLAY CONTAINER Karl H. Erickson, Rockford, 11]., assignor to Amerock Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application December 22, 1955, Serial No. 554,755

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-4534) This invention relates to containers comprising a transparent dome or inverted cup enclosing an article to be displayed and closed by a generally flat bottom.

The general object is to provide a novel transparent and dustproof container of the above character adapted to be produced at low cost and assembled around the article to be displayed by high speed automatic machinery.

A more detailed object is to provide a novel integral dome drawn from thermoplastic material combined with a bottom fused to the dome wall to unite the two into a rigid container.

The invention also resides in the novel construction by which the bottom is finally formed as an incident to its insertion in the dome opening.

Another object is to provide a novel construction of the container bottom to facilitate quick and easy opening of the container when the displayed article is to be removed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be- .come apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved container.

Fig. 2 is a side view partially broken away.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container bottom.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the bottom is formed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a different shape of dome.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating one way of displaying the container.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the container after tearing oif the bottom.

Fig. 9 vis a vertical sectional view. of a stack of the improved containers.

The improved container for displaying an article such as a drawer knob 10 comprises generally a transparent dome 11 having a top 12 and a continuous peripheral side wall 13 defining an opening at its lower edge closed by a semirigid flat bottom 14 securely fastened to the wall 13 around the lower periphery and forming the base of the container. The dome is sized according to the dimensions of the article to be displayed and the top portion may be of irregular contour (Figs. 1 and 6) so as to fit closely around the article and hold the same against objectionable shifting relative to the base during shipment and handling.

Domes of substantial height may be formed from a transparent sheet of thermoplastic material by a drawing operation performed on an area softened by heating. The sheet may for example be composed of cellulose acetate butyrate usually about .015 of an inch thick. After drawing of the cavity, the dome is .cut out of the sheet in a stamping operation leaving a very narrow outturned flange 16 around the bottom edge of the dome.

2,873,023 Patented Feb. 10, 1959 For most articles to be packaged in the improved container, the side wall 13 of the dome is made rectangular in cross section and at least the lower portion thereof is flared downwardly at a small angle a (Fig. 2). The corners 17 of the dome are rounded at a substantial radius thereby avoiding any possibility of cracking during handling of the container. As a result, the dome alone possesses substantial rigidity.

in the present instance, the bottom 14 is made of relatively stiff multiple ply cardboard and comprises a gener ally flat sheet 18 shaped to fit closely within the open end of the dome and wedged within the tapered wall when pressed into a plane spaced a short distance above the bottom edge 16 of the dome. Integral with each side of the bottom sheet is a depending flange 19 which is independently flexible about the sheet edge and therefore is adapted to lie in full face to face contact with the corresponding side wall of the dome. Such flexing is permitted by separation of the flanges from each other at the corners of the base as indicated at 20 (Fig. 3). Being integral with the center sheet 18, the flanges adapt themselves automatically to the internal taper of the individual dome walls.

If desired, legends such as size designations may be printed on the outer surfaces of the flanges 19 so as to be visible through the dome wall. To preserve such printing and to utilize the base 14 in further increasing the rigidity of the final package, the flanges 19 are preferably fused and thereby united integrally to the dome walls 13 by seals which extend over relatively large areas of the flange surfaces as indicated at 21 (Figs. 2' and 6 The seals 21 are formed by squeezing the'fianges and the opposed margins of the dome wall together under properpressure and while the flanges are heated to a suitable temperature by a shoe engaging the inner flange surfaces. The material from which the seals 21 are formed is applied as a coating 22 (Fig. 5) to the flange surfaces and if desired to the entire upper surface of the cardboard base 14. The plastic material selected is adapted to soften at a somewhat lower temperature than the dome walls and become fused to the latter-quickly when the proper pressure is applied.

To permit the flanges 19 to be fit accurately against the dome walls and the base to close the dome opening completely, the base is cut from a fiat sheet of cardboard to form the blank shown in Fig. 4. By cutting grooves 23 through part of the plies of the cardboard along the lines of junction of the flanges and the sheet 13 on the side thereof which becomes the upper surface of the bottom 14 in the final assembly the blank may be weakened so as to insure bending of the flanges along well defined lines and sizing of the sheet 18 to fit properly within the dome wall. Such bending of the edge portions of the blank occurs automatically as the die cut blank is pressed into the dome opening thus leaving the base slightly compressed edgewise and firmly held within the dome. Then, the seals 21 are formed by pressing the areas of the flanges and the dome walls together while applying suflicient heat through the flanges to soften the plastic coating 22 and fuse the flanges to the dome. The legends printed on the flanges are thus left plainly visible through the wall 13 of the dome.

In the present instance, the bottom 14 is specially con structed to permit quick and easy opening of the container when it is desired to remove the packaged article. This is accomplished by omitting the seal 21 on at least one of the flanges 19 so that the latter may be separated from the dome wall and pulled first downwardly and then across the dome opening to tear the cardboard out of the dome. To facilitate grasping of the unsealed flange a tab 24 formed integral therewith projects a short distance beyond the dome edge 16. This tab is sufliciently flexible to bend upwardly around the edge 16 as shown in Fig. 7 and if desired, is formed with a hole 25 to permit the entire package to be hung on a peg board for displaying the article through the top of the transparent dome.

To open the container, the tab 24 is grasped and pulled downwardly and away from the dome and then along the bottom of the latter. The cardboard may tear at the score lines 23 along the longitudinal edges of the bottom 14. More frequently, the entire bottom is torn away from the plies of the cardboard forming the outer surfaces of the sealed flanges 19 which remain attached to the dome walls as indicated at 26 (Fig. 8) by the seals 21. The entire dome opening is thus fully exposed and the article rendered accessible for quick removal.

If desired, the bottom 14 may be formed of material such as aluminum which, when of a thickness capable of imparting proper rigidity to the container, is relatively flexible and adapted to bend along the lines 23 for forming the flanges 19 automatically as the flat blank is pressed into the dome opening. As before, a coating 22 of suitable plastic material is carried by the blank to permit the thermal pressure seals 21 to be formed in the manner above described.

It will be apparent that the container described above is inexpensive to construct and assemble by means of automatic machinery while possessing suflicient rigidity and tightness to afford proper protection for the packaged article. Such rigidity together with the tapering of the dome permits the containers to be stacked together for shipment or display as illustrated in Fig. 9, the dome top of one container nesting into the bottom recess of the next higher container. The flanged bottom together .with the fusing of the flanges to the dome over large areas contributes to the overall ruggedness of the package which may nevertheless be opened quickly and easily.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container enclosing an article to be displayed comprising a hollow dome drawn from a sheet of transparent plastic and having a top and a continuous peripheral side wall integral therewith and flaring downwardly around its entire periphery to a lower edge defining a rectangular bottom opening, a bottom closure comprising a sheet of multiple ply cardboard fitting snugly within said wall and spaced inwardly from said dome edge, and flanges depending from the side edges of said sheet and separated from each other, each of said flanges being integral with and hinged to the edges of said cardboard sheet and individually flexed outwardly and lying in full face to face contact with the tapered internal surface of said Wall along said dome edge, and a plurality of thermo pressure seals spaced around said wall and integrally uniting a plurality of said flanges to the opposed areas of said wall below said sheet, at least one of said flanges being unsealed and separable from said wall to form a tab to be grasped for tearing said sheet and the inner plies of said sealed flanges out of said dome.

2. A container enclosing an article to be displayed comprising a hollow dome drawn from a sheet of transparent plastic and having atop and a continuous peripheral side wall flaring downwardly around its entire periphery to a lower edge defining a rectangular bottom opening, a bottom closing said opening and comprising a sheet fitting snugly within said wall and spaced inwardly from said dome edge, and flanges depending from the side edges of said sheet and separated from each other at the corners of said opening, each of said flanges being integral with and hinged to the edges of said sheet and individually flexed outwardly and lying in full face to face contact with the tapered internal surface of said wall along said dome edge, a plurality of seals spaced around said wall and uniting a plurality of said flanges to the opposed areas of said wall below said sheet, and a lug integral with an unsealed one of said flanges and projecting beyond the edge of said dome to form a pull tab for enabling at least part of said bottom to be torn away from the dome.

3. A container enclosing an article to be displayed comprising a hollow dome drawn from a sheet of transparent plastic and having a top and a continuous peripheral side wall integral therewith and flaring downwardly around its entire periphery to a lower edge defining a bottom opening, a bottom closure sheet fitting snugly within said wall and spaced inwardly from said dome edge, and flanges depending from the side edges of said sheet and separated from each other, each of said flanges being integral with and hinged to the edges of said sheet and individually flexed outwardly and lying in full face to face contact with the tapered internal surface of said wall along said dome edge, and a plurality of thermal pressure seals spaced around said wall and integrally uniting the outer surfaces of a plurality of said flanges to the opposed areas of said wall below said sheet, said closure sheet and flanges being composed of a plurality of plies adapted to separate from each other as said sheet is stripped out of the bottom of said dome leaving the outer plies of said flanges adhering to said dome wall. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,745,101 La Bombarde Jan. 28, 1930 2,563,157 Castelli Aug. 7, 1951 2,621,129 Ramsbottom et al Dec. 9, '1952 2,652,335 Conti Sept. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 958,491 France Sept. 12, 1949 

